English Poetry. William Ernest Henley. Echoes. 29. A Child. Уильям Эрнст Хенли.

William Ernest Henley (Уильям Эрнст Хенли)

Echoes. 29. A Child

         To R. L. S.

A child,
Curious and innocent,
Slips from his Nurse, and rejoicing
Loses himself in the Fair.

Thro' the jostle and din
Wandering, he revels,
Dreaming, desiring, possessing;
Till, of a sudden
Tired and afraid, he beholds
The sordid assemblage
Just as it is; and he runs
With a sob to his Nurse
(Lighting at last on him),
And in her motherly bosom
Cries him to sleep.

Thus thro' the World,
Seeing and feeling and knowing,
Goes Man: till at last,
Tired of experience, he turns
To the friendly and comforting breast
Of the old nurse, Death. 

William Ernest Henley’s other poems:

1. Rhymes and Rhythms. 23. Here They Trysted, Here They Strayed
2. Rhymes and Rhythms. Epilogue
3. Rhymes and Rhythms. 20. The Shadow of Dawn
4. Rhymes and Rhythms. 21. When the Wind Storms by with a Shout, and the Stern Sea-Caves
5. In Hospital. 12. Etching

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